Their Clothes Did Not Wear Out!
By Susan Klein
“For forty years you sustained them in the
desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet
become swollen.”
Worry. We all do it. It’s imbedded in our culture. If you aren’t
feeding your kids the right food or up on the latest technology, you should be worried.
Kids worry they won’t fit in at school if they aren’t wearing trendy clothes or
listening to the right music. If someone doesn’t have a comfortable nest egg
saved up for retirement, they’d best be worried! We are encouraged to worry; it
(supposedly) makes us more productive.
Here is a statement that may jar you: “Worry is offensive to
God.” That’s right, it offends Him. Worry is a choice to place our trust in
something other than God, be it circumstances, our own choices, other people...
In the Old Testament, as the Israelites wandered in the desert
for forty years, we read how they constantly worried about where they’d live,
or how they’d find food, or who would be their ruler. They were so busy
worrying that they didn’t even notice God’s miraculous provisions for them.
They traveled constantly by foot, yet their feet did not swell. Food rained
down from heaven to feed them. For forty years, their clothes did not wear
out! Let that thought settle for a moment. Imagine wearing the same clothes
for forty years, and they still look new! God was offended by their worry/lack
of trust and did not allow their generation to enter the Promised Land.
In the New Testament, Jesus tells His followers, “Do not worry
about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will
wear…Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in
barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than
they?” (1)
Healthy concern for our lives and the lives of those around us
is good. It motivates us toward positive actions. Worry is unhealthy. It is taking the matter into our
own hands and thinking we must provide or invoke change, not God. Worry does
not make us more productive rather it
has destructive effects on our bodies
and minds, often leading to poor health and harmful habits.
Let us remember God’s promises and provisions, and learn from
the recorded past. We can honor God by trusting Him, and clinging to His
truths. Besides, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (1)
GOING DEEPER:
1. What fears or concerns take center stage in your life? Can
you relinquish them to God
and trust in His provision?
FURTHER READING:
Susan is married to Mark, and co-leads an
in-home small group. She serves as a mentor to young women, and is a member of
Oakwood’s Peace Team, helping people work through conflict.
